The invention relates to a belt providing continuous lining up of plastics components which are attached to one another by means of a lateral thread extending on the plastics components such that, during conveyance of the belt, one plastics component after another reaches an assembly position in which the plastics component is separated from the belt.
Belts for the lining up of components have already been widely used, more specifically where a large number of components are to be processed repeatedly at an assembly position. In this case, the belt forms an advantageous aid for the automatic conveyance of the components to the assembly position in which the components are then separated from the belt and processed according to their respective application.
It is also known to leave pressed parts which have been punched out from a sheet metal strip on the remaining part of the sheet metal strip by means of crosspieces and to use this remaining part as a type of belt for conveyance so that the pressed parts attached to it can be brought successively into the assembly position by the conveyance of the sheet metal strip and can then be processed after they have been separated from the sheet metal strip (see German Gebrauchsmuster G 83 36 724.1). The use of the sheet metal strip complicates the conveyance thereof as considerable flexibility of a belt is usually necessary for this purpose in order to lead it, for example, on the conveying path via deflecting wheels and/or rollers.
A method is described in DE-OS 25 12 825 for the supply of screws or the like by means of a belt, in which the individual screws are transported at uniform intervals on a belt provided with claws. The belt consists of flexible plastics material and is provided with prefabricated pockets into which the screws are pressed using a gripping action of the pockets. For this purpose, the screws are initially arranged so that they can be grasped in the same location from which they are then pressed into the pockets. In the assembly position, the screws are then pressed out of the pockets and used according to their application.
It is also known from DE-OS 36 03 402 to join together pins which can be used as dowels, by means of a belt or by means of two strings, the belts or the strings extending transversely over the contiguous pins and being connected to the pins by adhesive points at the contact sites. In the assembly position, the individual pins can be separated from the belt or the strings and can be processed, for which purpose the belt can be supplied to a corresponding insertion device.
The lining up of components on belts has already been utilised in electrical engineering in that electrical elements which are to be inserted into electric circuits are arranged on belts which are then guided to an insertion tool where, in an assembly position, the individual electrical components are successively removed from the belt and inserted into a plate carrying the respective circuit (see, for example, DE-OS 25 51 364). There are various methods of connecting the electrical components to the belt. The components can be inserted in pockets in the belt, but they can also be fastened adhesively on the belt (see German Gebrauchsmuster G 88 03 425.9).
Plastics parts have also already been lined up on belts. Thus, DE PS 29 44 314 shows lined up sealing rings of flexible material which, during moulding of the sealing ring, are provided with crosspieces which extend to the next respective ring so that a line-up of plastics rings consisting of the same plastics material is formed, in which the sealing rings and the crosspieces connecting them form the belt. In the assembly position, the foremost respective sealing ring is broken away and processed. A similar method of lining up plastics parts is disclosed in DE-OS 24 15 958, which shows a ladder-like belt of which the individual rungs are used as label holders after being separated. With this embodiment also, each plastics component formed by a rung is continuously injection moulded with the external spars so that the belt directly containing the plastics components is formed in one operation.
Reference is finally made to EP-A 386 424 which discloses a belt, described as a magazine, with plastics bushes which serve for insertion of screws to be conveyed by the belt. The belt is formed by two strings which extend continuously over the lined up plastics bushes and penetrate them at opposing sites. The plastics bushes are shaped individually in succession, the strings simultaneously being inserted so that a continuous belt can be produced. The plastics bushes can be used as washers during the processing of the screws. In the assembly position, the strings are severed and the foremost plastics bush is processed with the screw.
When considering the aforementioned state of the art relating to plastics components, it can be seen that it invariably deals with relatively simply shaped plastics components which are unproblematical for intermittent conveyance of the belt lining up the plastics components. It is an object of the invention continuously to line up plastics components of complicated design in a belt and also to ensure exact stepwise conveyance to an assembly position with exact positioning.